Helpless
by laurenelizabeth513
Summary: "I loved her a lot. But I wasn't sure how much she loved me"


"Mommy?" Tahno said as he peeked in her door. He quickly closed it. There was another one here. They were always here, Some were nice but some were mean to Tahno. They alwaus pushed him around and ordered him to do everything. When he complained to mommy she just yelled at him and said, "Can't you just be grateful! God, Tahno. These men are good to us."

Tahno didn't think so.

Late one night Tahno had a nightmare about one of the bad men hurting his mommy. He got up to make sure she was okay.

"Mommy? Mommy, I had a nightmare. Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay? God, just go back to bed. You're a big boy. You can handle a nightmare."

"I love you, mommy."

"Whatever."

Tahno didn't know why she was always so mad. Especially at him. He hadn't done anything. Oh well. Tahno knew deep down in his heart that his mommy loved him and that was all he needed.

There was one night though that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Mommy, look at what trick I can do with my water bending."

She actually she seemed to be paying attention and he was beside himself. But he got so excited that the trick he was trying to do didn't work.

"Haha. That was you trick? You'll never be a water bender. You'll never amount to anything. You'll wander the village for the rest of your life. Helpless. That's all you'll ever be is helpless."

Thirteen years later he still remembers that conversation.

As he looks at his hands and feet and starts to think she was right. He's helpless now without his bending. Helpless. Nothing to do. Nothing.

Then she walked in. The only sunshine in his life. The Avatar. Though she'll never know it. He had too much pride to admit it. But maybe she needed to know. Now more than ever.

He had been in his apartment a few blocks from the arena trying helplessly to revive his bending. But it wouldn't work. Nothing would. He had been to the best healers in town. It was permanent. He heard a knock at the door.

He drug himself over to the door and answered it. It was her. She had come to see him.

"Tahno, hi. I was in the neighborhood and just wanted to say I was sorry."

"Thanks, Korra. But you didn't do anything. In fact that move you pulled in the tiebreaker was pretty cool. I might use that some -."

He closed his eyes and hung his head. Defeated.

But then there was a body being pressed to him. Her body. She was hugging him. He hugged her back, lifting her off the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Tahno. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wish I could have stopped it."

"I know. But now that we're not arguing or fighting it will get better. You are the only sunshine in my life. I drag myself out of bed every morning in hopes that I'll see you."

"I promise, Tahno. I promise I'll stop by every day. I promise."

"Thanks, _Uh-vatar._"

She quickly kissed his cheek ad left.

She had kissed him. _Kissed_ him. On the cheek, yes, but still a kiss. He had been kissed by plenty of girls but never like that.

He saw her again every day for a couple of weeks after that. But one night she stayed.

"I brought dinner. Noodles. Water tribe noodles."

"Ah. Still my favorite."

"Come on let's eat."

After dinner they sat on the couch and listened to the radio.

"Tahno, how come I've never heard about you childhood? Every bender has a backstory."

"You don't want to hear about my childhood."

"Yes I do. You've heard about mine. I was raised as the Avatar. Always practicing. Little time for friends or anything. But I did have one friend. His name was Howl. It was a White Lotus guard. Only two years older than me. Like you."

"_His? _As in he was a boy?"

"Yes. That's what his means."

"Ah. Was he a special friend?"

"Sorta. Daddy wouldn't let me date. Especially someone older than me. But what he didn't know didn't hurt him. But it's unlikely I'll ever see Howl again. Enough about me, what was your like?"

"Do I have to tell you? Why don't we just call it a night? You need to get home." He had never told anyone, _ever_, about his childhood.

"Oh I'm not going home tonight. I told Tenzin that I was staying with Asami. Which won't happen. I don't like her."

"Ah. Jealousy."

"I'm not jealous. I just don't trust her. And okay maybe I am a tad jealous of her and Mako but it's okay because I've got you now.

"You've got me?"

"Yeah. You know we've been spending a lot of time together lately. I just assumed that…"

"Well I'm gonna call it a night, _Uh-vatar_."

He walked to the closet in the hallway and pulled out a couple of extra blankets.

"Here some extra blankets. Goodnight, Korra."

"Oh. Goodnight."

Korra's POV

Later that night she heard thrashing and whimpers upstairs. It was Tahno. He'd had a nightmare. She tiptoed upstairs and cracked the door.

"Tahno."

"No, mom. No!"

"Tahno!"

He woke up drenched in sweat. Terrified. Angry.

"Tahno, what happened."

Speechless.

"Tahno."

She went and laid down in the bed next to him and gently laid her head on his chest.

"Tahno, you can tell me. It's okay."

"My mom…..she was a prostitute. I never knew my dad. I grew up with men coming and going. I never had a father figure. I didn't really have a family."

"I'm sorry, Tahno. I though I had it bad being locked in a compound. But you had it much much worse. I'm sorry."

"I loved her a lot. I don't know how much she loved me. If she even loved me. Water bending was the only escape. And that was 'childish' to her. She said that I was helpless, that I wouldn't ever be a water bender, that I wouldn't ever amount to anything. And now that I don't have my bending I'm afraid she was right. I'm nothing."

"No. That's not true. You are something. You're Tahno. You're an amazing young man. You've always been good to me. Sure we've had our fights but that was competition getting to our heads. And a little competitiveness is good for everybody."

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I know I can always count on you to be there for me."

"I'll always be here for you."

"I know."

"I mean I'm still busy with my training and trying to keep the peace and Avatar stuff. But I'll stop by when I can."

"I look forward to it."

"Do you think you can sleep now? I've got air bending training tomorrow and I have to get up early. Do you think you can sleep without the nightmares?"

"You are the only person that can say that and get away with it, you know that right?"

"I know, that's why I said it. So how bout it?"

"Yeah, I'll try and not disturb your beauty sleep, _Uh-vatar."_

"Thanks."

She gets up to leave but he catches her wrist.

"Although it would help if I had someone to keep the nightmares away."

"Alright. I'll stay. But just this time. I have a reputation to uphold."

"What reputation? You're the Avatar. What more do you need?"

"What I don't need is a reputation as a softie or a sap."

"But you are."

"No. I'm not."

"Korra. I can see right through your tough girl act. I know the real Korra."

"Well don't tell anybody. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He snuggles up next to her and whispers in her ear. "I love you."

She smiles in the dark and says, "I love you too."

And for the first time in forever he knows that there is someone who loves him for who he really is.


End file.
